Cops confirm remains those of missing Walden man

MONTGOMERY — State police Friday confirmed that the remains found in a marshy area along Route 17K earlier this month belonged to Stephen Croushore of Walden.

Meghan E. Murphy

MONTGOMERY — State police Friday confirmed that the remains found in a marshy area along Route 17K earlier this month belonged to Stephen Croushore of Walden.

Croushore, a 2005 graduate of Valley Central High School, disappeared in March 2011. He was 23 years old at the time.

Last spring, police responded to a report of suspicious activity near Ken's Service Station on Route 208, less than half a mile from the scene where the remains were discovered. Police arrested his brother, Kevin Croushore, on misdemeanor charges.

Police then searched for Stephen Croushore, later enlisting the help of both firefighters and dog teams when they were alerted that he had a medical condition that required medication. Stephen Croushore's mother, Maureen, told the Times Herald-Record last year that she too had searched for her son in the woods.

The remains were located on Jan. 15 by a hunter/trapper about a half-mile from where Stephen Croushore was last seen.

Visitation is from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the Millspaugh Funeral Home, 22 Bank St., Walden.

A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Feb. 6 at Our Lady of the Lake Church in Newburgh.